Woods can’t cut it at Congressional

Associated Press

Tiger Woods pauses after he putted on the eighth green while waiting for his group to finish the hole during the second round of the Quicken Loans National golf tournament, Friday, June 27, 2014, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Tiger Woods was back. Just not for very long.

Woods missed a 36-hole cut for only the 10th time on the PGA Tour with a game that showed signs of rust from being out of competition for more than three months. Right when he was poised to make a run, Woods made four straight bogeys on the back nine at Congressional to end any hopes of playing the weekend at the Quicken Loans National.

He shot a 4-over 75 on Friday and missed the cut by four shots.

It was the first time he missed the cut and saw it as a positive, starting with the fact he could play. He had back surgery March 31 and had hoped to return for the British Open next month. Instead, he played the Quicken Loans National because he felt strong enough, and because it benefits his foundation.

“I came back four weeks earlier than we thought I could,” Woods said. “I had no setbacks. I got my feel for playing tournament golf. I made a ton of simple, little mistakes misjudging things and missing the ball on the wrong sides and just didn’t get up-and-down on little, simple shots. Those are the little things I can correct.”

Marc Leishman of Australia turned potential bogey into unlikely birdie when he holed out from 127 yards on the par-5 ninth hole on his way to a 5-under 66 and a four-way share of the lead going into the weekend.

Oliver Goss, another Aussie who is making his second pro start, had a bogey-free 66 and joined Leishman at 6-under 136 along with Ricky Barnes (69) and Patrick Reed (68), who already has won twice this year.

Woods was 13 shots behind at 7-over 148.

It wasn’t the largest 36-hole gap from the leaders in the previous nine times he missed the cut on the PGA Tour. It just looked that way.

Woods took two shots to get out of a plugged lie in a bunker on the fifth hole and made double bogey. He three-putted for par on the next hole and never looked more sloppy than on the short par-4 eighth. He was in perfect position after hitting a big drive, 61 yards from the hole at the right angle. His pitch was too strong and left of the flag, leaving him a downhill chip from the collar. He hit that 7 feet by and missed the par putt.

Even so, the damage came after consecutive bogeys around the turn. His tee shot went into a hazard on No. 11, forcing him to punch out. He hit a wild hook off the tee on the 12th, and his second shot was headed for a bunker until it was suspended in the grass on the lip of the sand. He hit a poor chip from below the green on the 13th. And from the 14th fairway, he missed the green and hit another poor chip.

Four bogeys, no time to recover.

And he didn’t sound terribly worried. Woods took encouragement from not feeling any pain in his back, and from swinging as hard as he wanted with his driver. That’s what concerned him about playing this week. Turns out it was the two shortest clubs in his bag the wedge and putter that did him in.

Wie in second place: Michelle Wie shot a bogey-free 5-under 66 in her first round since winning the U.S. Women’s Open last weekend at Pinehurst, leaving her a stroke behind leader Alena Sharp in the NW Arkansas Championship. Wie played the back nine in 4-under 31 at Pinnacle Country Club.

Kaymer misses cut: Four players share the overnight lead from the second round of the BMW International Open, while U.S. Open winner Martin Kaymer failed to make the 4-under cut on Friday.

Local favorite Kaymer had three bogeys and a double bogey in a 1-over 73 that included four birdies. He finished on level par 144 overall.

Finau leads Web.com event: Tony Finau shot 8-under-par 64 to take a two-shot lead over three other golfers after two rounds in the United Leasing Championship on the Web.com tour.

Washington native Steve Wheatcroft shot a 5-over 77 and failed to make the cut.

Symnetra tour: Rachel Rohanna shot 3-over-par 75 in the Island Resort Championship in Harris, Mich., on the Symetra tour. Rohanna, a Waynesburg High School graduate, is expected to make the cut.